"Al Mio Posto" makes its debut for Roma v Lille. Find out all about the two Roma fans who inspired the club's new initiative!

The initiative was borne out of a suggestion sent to us by email at the end of July from two Roma supporters who live abroad: Valerio Pizzonia, 45, from Groningen in the Netherlands and Cesare Gervasi, 47, from Barcelona in Spain. 

We interviewed the two of them ahead of the first match to feature the club’s latest scheme. Here's what they had to say!

You proposed that Roma make your Cup season tickets available for those in financial difficulty. What prompted you to make this request?

Valerio: "After happily renewing our season tickets we thought, ‘As it’ll be hard for us to attend every game, why not pass on our tickets to fans who, for whatever reason, are unable to go otherwise?’ We were aware that Roma are always running initiatives to help out the less fortunate so we came up with the idea of getting in touch. We sent an email to the club, and thanks to all of you this idea has come into fruition."

Cesare: "The first time the idea came to me was for Roma’s Europa League quarter-final match against Feyenoord. Due to personal problems I was forced to cancel my trip to Rome at the last minute, and so I decided to give my ticket away as a gift, through an Instagram page. The person who got my ticket kept thanking me for weeks after! It meant one fewer empty seat and one more happy fellow Roma fan - what more could I have asked for? As I live abroad and I’m unable to attend every game I liked the idea of being able to give somebody else the chance to enjoy a Roma game live."

Thanks to your idea we set up a page that allows all Cup season ticket holders to pass on their seats when they can't attend a match at the stadium. How did you feel when you saw that your idea had grown into something big and that it would help out so many people?

Valerio: "We’re still struggling to believe it. Of course, we’re really happy and proud."

Cesare: "To be honest, I thought straight away about how incredible it was that Roma - such a large club - could organise all of this in such a short space of time."

Where does your passion for Roma come from?

Valerio: "It’s a family thing. My great-grandfather was part of the Roma board in the 1940s (Francesco Tomarelli, ed.), my grandmother Sira still watches matches at the ripe old age of 94, my uncle introduced me to a player who was named after a motorcycle (Francesco Rocca ‘Kawasaki’, ed.) and my father took me to the Olimpico to watch Roma 0-0 Avellino, on 7 February 1988."

Cesare: "My family as well. My father took me to see Roma for the first time in the Coppa Italia final in the 1980s against Verona. I can’t put into words how it felt."

What does it mean to you to follow Roma from a distance, and not always being able to attend games live at the Olimpico? How do you manage to keep this love going from abroad?

Valerio: "Nothing and nobody stops us! I’ve been living outside of Italy since 1999. Back then I was living in the USA and I’d listen to Roma games on the radio via the internet. Later on I’d watch them on Rai International, and nowadays here in the Netherlands I watch their games in HD. Unfortunately, the commentary is in Dutch. 

"I’d like to give a huge thanks to Roma. The Plus season tickets have allowed us to go to the stadium as season ticket holders, even if only once a season, and in any case giving another fan the opportunity to take our seats in our absence is a great idea."

Cesare: "Fans living abroad always find a way, whether it's following on the radio, attending various Roma supporters’ clubs (I spent four years attending the Roma Club in Berlin and it felt like I was at the Olimpico) or organising flights and trips. Even from afar we never miss a minute! I can recall that when I was in Canada, owing to the time difference, I’d have to set my alarm for 6 am – I’d be there cheering the team on with my coffee and scarf. I can also remember spending nights at airports following the team on some European trip."

In your email you mentioned the ‘true values of Romans and Romanisti.’ What are these values exactly?

Valerio: "Romans (and Romanisti) never put down those who are in difficulty. The people of Rome will always be willing to lend a hand to others. As far as I know, this initiative has exceeded expectations, which confirms what I always thought about Romans and the Romanisti."

Valerio, your great-grandfather was a director at Roma in the 1940s. What does it mean to you to carry forward this generational torch and turn it into a gesture of solidarity?

"As a child I was just a simple fan, in love with Roma. Since I’ve been living abroad my passion has increased exponentially. It’s always been wonderful to sift through my grandmother's archives and hear all the old stories of Roma’s past. I started out by worshipping my childhood idols, such as Giuseppe Giannini and Ruggiero Rizzitelli, followed by Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, before beginning to appreciate and love the previous Giallorossi heroes such as Rodolfo Volk, Attilio Ferraris and the great Amadeo Amadei. In fact, I’ve got him tattooed on me.

"I’m not massively into football as a whole, but Roma is in my heart. It's also in the hearts of my ten and five-year-old children, who grew up here in the Netherlands. For each of their birthdays since they were born I’ve bought them a Roma shirt. One of the best days of my life was when I took my older son to the Olimpico. I can’t wait to bring my younger son along too. It was exciting – it felt as if I were passing on a baton. What’s more, here in Groningen I’ve converted several friends into huge Roma fans. This gesture of solidarity is a simple consequence of my love for our team."

What final message would you like to send out to your fellow Roma fans?

 Valerio: "These two quotes that I carry in my heart. The first is by Renato Rascel: ‘You don’t question Roma; you love her’. The second is by captain Agostino Di Bartolomei: ‘There are football fans and then there are Roma fans.’

Cesare: "Whether you’re near or far, the love of these colours never changes. And here’s a message for whoever takes my place in the stadium: ‘Sing for me, won’t you?’